The present invention is directed to a hanging planter and particularly to a planter of the type adapted to be hung pendulously from a ceiling, wall, or the like.
Planters of the foregoing type are used generally as holders for growing plants, cut flowers and the like, in homes, terraces and other usually non-garden areas. As such, they are formed to be decorative as well as of light weight. Such planters are preferably of molded plastic material and comprise a lower section in the shape of pot or bowl, having an upper edge of lip from which a suspension assembly having a plurality of stringers extend upwardly and are joined to a common hook member. At first, the stringers of the suspension assembly were integrally formed with the pot section, being welded or molded therewith during the manufacturing process. Such construction insured that the material and decorative aspects of both the pot section and the stringers of the suspension assembly conformed to each other. This form of construction proved disadvantageous in that it made shipping and storage difficult and expensive, because when so constructed it was difficult to stack one planter within another, and separate boxing and shipping containers were required.
Because of economic and space considerations, it has recently become acceptable to form the pot section and the stringer suspension assembly separately, providing cooperating means on the lip of the pot and on the end of the stringers whereby they may be joined immediately prior to use. This, however, has its own disadvantages during manufacturing, storage, transportation, and sale, in that great care and attention must be paid to producing exact numbers of pots and stringer suspension assemblies of comparable design and number and to the boxing and shipping of exact sets.
A particular problem arises at the point of sale, where great care must be taken when planters are placed in the open for display and for handling by the retail customers. While savings have been obtained in transport and storage of separable pot sections and stringer suspension assemblies, the increased cost, often far exceeding the savings, incurred due to separation and pilfered and lost stringer assemblies, customer returns based on non-conforming stringer assemblies and pots, and the return of incomplete sets has resulted in excessive loss of profit to both retailer and manufacturer.
It is an object of the present invention to insure by a simple and inexpensive method, the provision of complete sets of hanging planters including conforming pot and stringer suspension assemblies during all stages in the chain of wholesale and retail distribution.
It is a specific object of the present invention to provide means whereby the separable stringer suspension assembly is carried by and attached thereof directly with the specific pot to which it conforms.
Above all, it is an object of this invention to reduce the cost of distribution and sale, and thereby reduce the ultimate cost of the planters of the type described.
These objects and advantages as well as others will be apparant from the following disclosure of the present invention.